Star Fox: Kursed
by Caitsith29
Summary: Following the ending of Star Fox Command, Star Wolf Returns, Krystal flees the Lylat system in shame. Upon arrival at a new galaxy, she adopts the alias Kursed and begins life anew as a professional bounty hunter.


Kursed

By

Overlord

#1: Short Fuse Burning

_Lair!_

_Cheat!_

_Betrayer!_

The vixen awoke with a jerk, banging her knees against her ships control panel with a frustrated yelp. The cockpits light flickered on in response to her movements, though it did not matter. Nothing had changed since the last three times she awoke from her sleep cycles. Outside the cockpit of her small spaceship was nothing but the blackness of space. The shinning lights of countless stars in the distance offering only a reminder of her loneliness.

"Damn it!" The vixen cursed as she fell back into her chair in an attempt to calm down. Her breaths were still coming out in labored pants and a cold sweat matted her fine blue fur and hair.

It had been almost three weeks since she had fled the Lylat system; a place she once dared to call home. Yet the nightmarish events that forced her departure still lingered. The vixen was once known as Krystal; an orphaned girl with no memory of her past, only the knowledge that her home planet, and probably everyone that knew her, was destroyed. A lucky encounter on the dinosaur planet of Sauria, however, gave her a chance at a new life. It was on that planet she met Fox McCloud. He was an expert pilot and adventure seeker, yet the most timid person around the opposite sex she had ever met. Shortly after that she was welcomed as the newest member of the Star Fox team.

The vixen sighed dejectedly as she gazed out the cockpit window at the stars, memories of a past life offering a little peace. Her and Fox had gone from respected friends to lovers in just a short time. They spent a lot of time fighting alongside each other; gaining such prestige as defeating the widely feared Aparoids. Fox was always the first to run in, guns blazing, yet always blushed and stuttered if the subject of them was brought up. Naturally this caused Fox a lot of banter, especially among his team mates, but it still made the vixen smile. She wondered if those childish traits were what had made him so appealing. Between the wild adventures, fun vacations and just plain living life, those days were like something out of a fantasy for her.

Perhaps that was why it was so surprising when Fox decided to dump her.

The vixen's claws dug into the armrests of her chair as she recalled that day with intense accuracy. They had just completed another successful mission in Sector-Y and returned to the newly built Great Fox. The last one had been blown up during the aforementioned Aparoid crisis. Yet she could tell something was off as soon as they boarded. Fox had been acting more nervous and aloof then usual. She didn't need her psychic powers to tell something big was on his mind. Since they had been going steady for almost two years, she had even been naive enough to think he was preparing to purpose.

The thought now made her laugh dryly, bringing a bit of fog on the cockpit glass. Instead of completing her dream of a happy life, Fox did the opposite. There was no warning, he just simply turned to her in the hallway and said she was no longer a part of Star Fox. Fox never was the most tactful of furs. Even now the vixen wished she could have inflicted that kind of pain back on him ten fold. Lord knows she tried, even becoming as desperate as to join Star Wolf, the lowest pilot scum Lylat had to offer. It had been a fun, albeit short, affair that really got under Fox's fur. She had even tried starting up a relationship with one of the pilots, Panther Calriso. He was a bit of an oddball for an assassin, but still a sweetheart when he wanted to be; which was usually whenever he talked to her.

Perhaps it was those decisions that doomed her out of the entire galaxy. Leaving the 'noble' Star Fox team was not dismaying enough for the populace, but promptly going to wanted criminals had made her down right hated. Forget the fact she and the rest of Star Wolf had helped save the system from a whole new Angular empire, or that Fox had stepped all over her feelings for his own reasons. No, she was the marked black sheep and everyone went out of their way to let her know it. The mutters behind her back she could take, if at least for Panthers sake, but people quickly grew vicious over less then accurate tales of her so called exploits. Just the thought of the shouts she received for walking down the streets made her want to cry all over again. Even her face still burned from where a child had spat in it, much to the approval of his parents.

That had been the final straw. If Lylat no longer wanted someone who risked her life to save them, she would just have to leave. The vixen had no idea where to go, or what to do when she got there, but it seemed better then the alternative. She wanted to abandon everything. Her life, her possessions, even her own name were now light years away in the Lylat system. She never wanted to hear the name 'Krystal' again. That name had too much of a cursed past to bear any longer. That idea had made finding a new name easy though, as it already seemed to apply to her. The vixen was, and forever would be, Kursed.

It was all a choice Star Wolf, and the few friends she had left were less then thrilled about but she was glad they did nothing to stop her. Panther had taken it much better then she had expected, even giving her the rose sitting on her control panel as a parting gift. Her best friend Lucy had been a big help. Being the daughter of former Star Fox member, now grand Cornarian General Peppy proved to have quiet a catch of connections. The vixen's fighter plane had been given a complete upgrade. Additional engine fuel tanks, several months worth of food and the latest in simulated sleep cycle environment controls. She had little else to do in such a cramped cockpit anyway but look at stars and reminisce. Everything a young girl would need for fleeing to another galaxy.

Kursed sighed dejectedly as she flicked off the cockpits small lights, intent on yet another few hours of simulated sleep to keep her sanity together. It was only then that she noticed another dim red light flashing across the chest of her purple jumpsuit.

"Aw crap!" the vixen bolted up in her chair. She had been expecting this for a few days, but the red light blinking across her full gauge was still less than welcome. Her gloved paws quickly flew across the control panel, bringing to life the small screen displaying the ships computer functions.

"Please input command," the automated voice stated.

"Emergency course alteration; Target the nearest known civilized planet."

"Accessing." Kursed bit her lower lip as she waited for the computers results. Seconds later a mostly brownish looking planet filled up the right half of the screen. The vixen didn't bother reading the display stats printed out on the left side. "Planet Kew; Toyus system selected. Confirm destination?"

"Yes," Kursed barked irritably. She had no idea how far this new system was from Lylat, but it would have to do. "Initiate course change now."

"Destination confirmed." The ship promptly gave a sharp turn, causing the vixen to grunt in surprise as she was pushed against the seats safety harness. "ETA: forty-three point seven standard hours."

The vixen groaned as she ran a paw through the lose bangs of her thick blue hair. Months of hygiene neglect had resulted in a simple ponytail keeping the bulk of it dangling against her middle back, but a few locks still managed to find their way around her gold headband into her sparkling emerald eyes. The hair was the least of her worries right now though. If the instruments were still working properly, she had just barely enough fuel to reach this planet. And if she was really lucky, she might even have some left over to land safely.

"Hell with it," Kursed muttered to herself as she shut the system back down. She plopped back into a resting position on the chair and let the next sleep cycle gas seep its way in peacefully. Whatever curse life threw at her next she will deal with it when it came.

------------------------------------------------

"BRYCE!"

The young raccoon squealed as he fell off his captains chair, his face smacking straight to the floor. The electronic magazine he had been reading slid along the metallic floor before slapping against the far wall of the bridge. He just laid there for a few seconds with nothing but the squeaking of the spinning chair as sound. Finally he sat up, rubbing the aching underside of his furry chin.

"Is that you god?"

"Yes," the room's speakers said in a softer, feminine tone. "But you know you can call me Tina, silly."

Bryce Bandit rolled his eyes as he stood, taking a moment to re-adjust his chair before falling back into it. His paws straightened out the wrinkles in his red sleeveless t-shirt and brown pants. He had not bothered to wear shoes or socks; he never did on his own ship. An orange with black striped bandana kept most of his spiky black hair at bay, though a big bang found its way out to droop over most of his grey eyes.

Feeling presentable enough, the young raccoon reluctantly hit one of the many switches on the armrest of his chair with a sigh. "What do you want, sis?"

A video image flicked into focus on the bridge's display glass. On it was a slightly older, but attractive looking, raccoon girl giving Bryce a smug grin. Unlike him, she was dressed in a smooth clad white business blouse and mini-skirt. A black undershirt and yellow tie completing her neat look, even if it did stretch across her impressive bust. Her black hair had been cut into a tomboyish short style so as not to get in the way of her own grey eyes.

"Same thing our father always sends me to bug you for," she responded almost happily. As she spoke her paw worked feverishly on the PDA she was holding. The plastic pencil that went with it ran all over the unseen screen as she talked. Bryce noticed with a bit of awe that she was not even glancing at it. "What's your excuse for not paying him this time, hmmm?"

"Same excuse I always give when you bug me," Bryce replied with a wave of his paw. Tina sighed with a little more fringed disappointment than he wanted. "Look, it's not my fault no one will hire me."

Tina raised an eyebrow. "Have you actually tired LOOKING for a job?" Bryce crossed his arms, slumping in his chair with a huff. This only made Tina laugh, but her expression quickly turned serious. "Look, Little B, daddy won't left you sit off in space forever without paying for his ship."

"I know, I know, I know!" Bryce stretched out in his chair, glancing around the bridge of his starship. It was a fairly large room, which was only exaggerated by its lack of furs. There was a small control stand and chair near the center of the display glass meant for the ships navigator, as well as two similar stands on either side for radar and weapons controls. His chair sat back a bit in the middle of the room, with most override controls linked directly to its armrest. There were several more control stations along the back walls, but Bryce honestly had no idea what they were for. The raccoon just assumed they gave readings on the internal parts of his ship. "Finding a crew and going on adventures has just been a little more…difficult then I expected."

"You'd think with our family, crews would be falling over themselves to join you," Tina offered with a laugh.

"One would think," Bryce said as his rested his head in his left paw thoughtfully. The implied sarcasm of his sister totally going over his mask furred head.

Tina took a break from her PDA to wrest her wrist on her shapely hips and glare at her brother. "Well you're not going to get anywhere sitting on your puffy ass all day. Try going into town or something. Or hell, I can find you something you can actually accomplish."

Bryce grew pale at the suggestion. "No, I don't think I ever want to have you in charge of my missions again. Not after last time."

Tina gave an evil cackle as she resumed writing on her PDA. "But you looked so cute in that dress. A little make up and not even Daddy recognized you."

"A fact I'm grateful to this day. I'm cutting you off now, Big T."

"But I'm not…" was all Tina got out before Bryce hit another switch on his armrest, instantly killing the connection.

_You handled that better then normal, Captain, _said the ships computer

"I was in a good mood, despite the reminder of my debts." Bryce stood from his chair, covering his mouth with a paw as he yawned. "Anything on the agenda for today, Ezra?"

_Zip, zilch and a whole lot of nadda. We might as well follow your sisters advice for once and go looking for work._

"Oh sure, take her side!" Bryce replied with a smirk. The ship his father had supplied him as an official business investment had come with its own AI computer to help with its operation, but it had proven way too bland for a teenager like him. Fortunately he knew enough about programming from his sister to give it a bit of a personality lift. To this day the raccoon wondered if it had been a good idea. "Very well, prep the shuttle while I got changed."

_Very good sir._ A few instruments bleeped as Bryce made for the exit doors. He had just reached them when Ezra suddenly said, _That's odd, there's a ship coming in._

Bryce perked a rounded ear at this, turning halfway back to the glass screens. "Ship traffic this early? Coming our way, Ezra?"

_No, it seems to be heading straight for Kew. I'll bring it up on screen._

A new video image flicked on the glass, causing Bryce to walk back to his captain's chair with increased interest. On the display was a small looking angular craft obviously meant for fighting, yet it had clearly been outfitted with several add on engines and compartments. The resulting image appeared to be a very bulky and almost clumsy flying airship. "What IS that?"

_It appears to be a fighter of Lylat origins. It is possibly of Arwing class, but its specifications don't seem to fit any model standards._

"Custom made, eh?" Bryce laughed as he watched the ship speed by. "Did you try hailing them?"

_No response. Scans indicate the cockpit environment to be similar to cryogenic stasis._

"Someone made it out here from Lylat in THAT thing?!" Bryce laughed with a dismissive wave as he moved once again for the exit. "I hope I don't run into the fur dumb enough to attempt that on Kew."

_I'm sure the odds of that happening are very slim, captain. _Ezra agreed before the raccoon left the bridge.

---------------------------------------------

To say that Planet Kew was the industrial center of the Toyus system was an understatement. A more appropriate comparison would be that it was the industrial heart of the whole galaxy. Over seventy-five percent of the planet was built under the machine of Pantherstrike Industries; leading manufacturers of everything from electronic toys to military grade weapons. Almost no one in the Toyus system was without at least a handful of its products. Other business's felt it was better just to voluntarily sell out to them, rather then the profit loss of trying to compete.

Unfortunately for Bryce he barely had money to feed himself, much less get his ship repairs from such prestigious manufacturers. His father had made it clear the first time he tried that family took second place to business. And so far he had proven less then a viable investment for anything other then lunch money. One of the many reasons he enjoyed shopping around the other twenty-five percent of the planet. Any shop not owned by Pantherstrike was always family run. They don't ask questions, take anything of value and, Bryces personal reason for going to them, they took things on credit.

"For the last time, no, you stupid leech of a raccoon!"

Unless, of course, you already were in debt to them for three straight payments; then they might refuse you.

"Aw come ooooooooooon, Flyod!" Bryce clasped his paws together in a begging position on the counter. "Just one more little bit is all I need to feed my starving family.

The portly bore on the other side of the shop counter grunted a warning at Bryce. His hoof like digits more concerned with cleaning out a piece of engine material with a wire brush as he talked. "Kid, all your family are Pantherstrike executives, who you got left to feed?"

"…myself?" Bryce offered meekly.

Flyod laughed harshly, turning his attention back to the parts he was cleaning. Grime from the inner parts fell off in clumps to add to the already impressive collection across his plaid wool jacket and semi-white shirt. After a few minutes of this he turned his snout back to the counter, not the least bit surprised to find Bryce still there. The raccoon looked up at him with glossy eyes. Giving out an irate groan, the bore set down his current task and turned his full girth towards the boy.

"Look Bryce, do you know why I even bother putting up with you?"

"Because you think my sister is hot," Bryce replied with a smirk.

"That too!" Flyod blushed slightly, only momentarily losing his composure. "But mostly because I'm scared as hell what would happen if your father found out I was letting you get off with supplies on I.O.U.'s"

"So what's wrong with one more to the pile if I don't tell him?"

The bore slammed his fists onto the counter, sending Bryce stumbling backwards onto the floor in surprise. "Because I won't have a business if you keep taking everything!!" The bore stood up to his full height, the stool he had been using giving off a creek of relief from the pressure. "Now I'm giving you five seconds to get back to your ship or so help me…" The door to the shop chose that moment to swing open, the bell tapped above it ringing in response to announce the arrival of a customer. Instantly the bore turned towards the potential customer with an expression of happiness. "Welcome to Floyd's Used Parts and Ships! Anything special I can do for you, Ma'am?"

Bryce was initially too shocked at the bore for the current surrounds to register to him; despite the fact Flyod no longer seemed to have an interest in him. But as the clicking of solid heels on the tiled floor came to a stop just feet from the raccoon, it became apparent the new occupant to the room was.

"Am I interrupting something?" Said a soft, yet hard edged female voice.

"Not at all," Flyod said as he rubbed his hoofed hands together, his smile looking a bit more faux then usual to Bryce. "That one never comes in for business anyway."

Bryce felt a pair of smaller paws clasp around one of his own and was suddenly jerked up to his feet. Unfortunately he failed to find his balance in the process and got saved a fall by the same pair of paws. "Whoa, kid. You okay?"

Bryce pushed away from the woman, intent on telling her off at being given an adolescent brand. Instead he found himself awestruck staring into a pair of perfect emerald colored eyes. The cute, blue furred vixen they belonged too had a shocked expression for a moment, and then twisted it into a knowing smirk; as if reading his suddenly less then mature thoughts. Bryce blushed despite himself and released his grip on her shoulders.

"Y-yeah, I'm just having a bit of an off day." Very smooth, he added with a silent mental kick.

The blue vixen giggled softly, her smile on that cream furred face only made the raccoon feel more awkward. A gold headband kept her long blue hair from dropping in front of her sparkling eyes, though a few strands broke loose anyway. Attached to it was a string of gold beads draped across her forehead, supporting a red diamond resting right between her eyes. Fortunately she only gave him a quick glance over to check for injury, and then turned her attention back to a fuming Flyod. "I need to exchange my current ship for a newer one if possible."

"Splendid!" Flyod said as his false smile returned. "I just need to see the specs on your ship and we can negotiate a bargain."

"Oh, right." The vixen began to dig through the pockets of her flight suit as Bryce looked on. He couldn't help but take this opportunity to admire the curves of her backside. The snug fit of her purple jumpsuit seemed to compliment said curves nicely. The pattern of red and white stripes running up and down her body suggested military background, but were not any markings he was familiar with. No sooner did his eyes come to rest on the swell of her rump though then the vixen halted her rummaging to give him a brief, but very menacing, glare.

Bryce quickly backed away in embarrassment, making his way towards the soda machine in the far corner of the store with as little noise as possible. "What is she? Psychic?" He wondered to himself as he dug through his own pockets for loose change.

Behind him the vixen gave out a cry of triumph as she produced a folded piece of paper rubber banded to a yellow plastic card. She handed the card to Flyod before working exasperatingly to get the paper unwrinkled. Flyod, meanwhile, had dug out a large computer board with a card reader along its top. Quickly swiping it through the reader, he began to tap the screen with a black hoofed finger as it came to life. The boar took a few seconds to read over the screen displays while waiting for the vixen to finish smoothing out the registration papers as best as her small paws would manage. He looked away from the screen to skim over the offered papers before giving the vixen a curious look.

"Well, Ms. Kursed is it? You have an unusual ship here." Flyod taped the computer screen a few more times, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he studied the information on it. "Where did you get these kinds of modifications done?"

"Cornaria, "The vixen named Kursed replied as she leaned her elbows on the counter with intent eyes. Her tied up blue tail swished patiently against the spandex of her legs while answering his questions. "I admit it was a bit of a rush job, but everything still works."

"Cornaria!?" Flyod repeated in surprise, earning an ear perk from Bryce. The raccoon had finally managed enough change and was busy retrieving his favorite brand of cherry cola from the machine. He popped the top and began to take a large swig as Flyod continued, "Your specs show the fuel tanks almost bone dry too. What happened? You sail all the way out here from Lylat until you ran out of burn?"

The vixen returned his smirk with a dry laugh. "Actually, yes. I didn't really have any other connections to afford a better-"

She was suddenly cut off by a loud spraying sound from behind. Kursed and Flyod turned with wide eyes in its direction, though neither seemed surprised to see Bryce gagging on the soda he had been drinking. Most of the drink now dripped off several rows of nearby shelves and glistened on some ship parts being displayed.

"You're paying for that, you brat!" Flyod yelled as he started to rise from his chair.

Before he could move after Bryce, however, Kursed turned sharply to glare at the Boar. Her sudden motion sent her long blue haired pony tail whipping around her shoulder to rest against the swell of her chest. "My ship, please!"

Both Flyod and Bryce were surprised by the sudden ferocity of her voice. Even more surprising to Bryce was the fact the boar actually sat back down after only a moment's hesitation.

"Yes, well," Flyod tapped his screen a few times and nervously looked back at Kursed. "I'm afraid Lylat technology is considered somewhat primitive out in this galaxy, you don't even have any fuel left to exchange so it'd be very hard to find a good buyer for it."

"Figured as much." Kursed said as she sunk her muzzle into her paws. "What about scraping it?"

Flyod chuckled lightly. "Well raw materials are another story. There's definitely enough there for a decent recycling price. However, we won't know that until we take it apart."

Kursed looked up hopefully from between her paw fingers. "Is there anything you can give me for now?"

"Most I can offer right now is three thousand for the ship, and then my finders fee is ten percent of her total worth."

Bryce watched a bit nervously as the vixen hung her head with a groan. It was a bit of a relief to know he was not the only one suffering money problems, but he also wished he could somehow help out an obvious damsel in distress. He took a sip of his remaining soda as he watched Flyod try in vain to comfort her. Suddenly, the notice of Kursed's military style jumpsuit began to spark something inside the raccoons mind. It was a bit of a desperate idea, but knowing him it was crazy enough to actually work too. Not to mention it would benefit them both, so he felt no guilt about having personal motives. All that really mattered was that she did what he hoped as good as she looked.

If the vixen was picking up on his thoughts this time, she showed no signs of it as she continued to consider her options with Flyod. Her conversations with the boar were quickly cut short when a loud gurgling sound filled the shop. Placing a paw on her slim belly, the vixen let out a nervous laugh between red cheeks. "I guess I'll take you up on that offer, but can you throw in directions to the nearest, and cheapest, hotel with restaurants?"

"Certainly Ms. Kursed!" Flyod said happily. The bore swiped the yellow card across the reader again, pressed the screen a few times and then handed it back to the vixen. "That takes care of the down payment. I probably don't need to ask if you have any accounts reaching this galaxy so I put the currency directly on your card."

"Thanks," Kursed said as she slipped the card into her right hip pocket. She watched calmly as boar filed away the ships registration then began to write down directions on a piece of scrap paper. Though her eyes never left the counter, Bryce did notice her pointed fox ears swivel back his way every now and then.

Flyod merrily handed her the poorly written directions and answered the last of Kurseds questions. Finally the vixen gave a cheerful wave and moved towards the door, content to at least have some cash to live on for the time being. The bell above the door dinged as it was flung open and the vixen was gone, never giving Bryce a second glance. Bryce waited a full minute while quietly finishing his soda. The moment Flyod had turned his back to finish up this latest transaction, the raccoon bolted for the door as quietly as he could.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about you, brat!" Flyod said in a near scream just as Bryce placed a paw on the door handle. "You better bring money or your sister next time you come through that door, or else!"

Bryce looked back at the boar's wide backside, giving a sly smirk through the black mask fur of his muzzle. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Flyod."

Bryce quickly dashed out the door to avoid any insults, or projectiles, Flyod might have been ready to throw at him. Having memorized the directions he had overheard, Bryce wasted no time catching up to the cute blue vixen only a few blocks away. The original plan was to simply follow her for a little bit, both to see what she would do next and also fine tune the proposition he was plotting to share with her. Those hopes were quickly dashed as he slowed down to a good following distance. The moment he had matched their walking pace she stopped abruptly and turned completely around to stare expectantly at him with arms folded under her chest.

The raccoon stopped dead in his tracks as their eyes met. The vixen no longer wore that angry flare she had given Floyd earlier, but the way she seemed to be almost second guessing everything he was doing was vexing. Sighing dejectedly, Bryce resigned himself to the inevitable and shambled up to the vixen looking like a cub caught with the cookie jar.

"Something I can help you with, kid?" she asked softly as soon as he was within normal speaking range.

Bryce turned a little flush at being branded his most hated name. However she was addressing him with very soft and gentle nature now, which made him quickly forget his pet peeve. "W-well, I…um…that is to say I was wondering…" The vixen could not help but giggle as she watched the raccoon struggle to form a coherent sentence. He quickly found it through his growing embarrassment. "What's so funny!?"

"Nothing, I'm sorry." She raised a paw to add to her apology. "It's just that you remind me of someone I….used to know."

Bryce raised an eyebrow as the vixen struggled out her last words. Her eyes suddenly had a far away, yet pale look to them, as if remembering something painful. Another loud gurgle suddenly brought her back to reality, this time from Bryces own stomach.

The vixen laughed then offered her right paw as a handshake. "I'm Kryst…" She stopped suddenly with a bite on her lower lip while glancing away anxiously. Bryce recognized that expression, having used it often when nearly saying something he should not in front of his father or sister. "Kursed," she finally said, though her gaze stayed at her flight boots with folded back ears. "My name is Kursed."

"Bryce Bandit," the raccoon said, giving her paw several firm shakes in return. His motions seemed to jar the vixen out of her sudden depression. The soft feel of her fur almost sent him reeling again, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside when he noticed Kursed trying to suppress a giggle. "It's nice to meet you, but, no offense, please stop acting like you know what I'm thinking."

"Who says I don't?" Kursed gave him a wink before promptly turning to resume walking down the nearly empty sidewalk.

Bryce stood there with his jaw hanging open, watching the sway of the vixen's tail as the implications of her retort sank in. It was not until she started to turn a corner that he jerked back into focus and sprinted to catch up after the strange, but very cute, vixen. Fortunately he did not have to run very far as he turned the corner and collided with her backside. Kursed staggered forward slightly from the impact, but was too distracted to notice Bryce's bottom smacking against the sidewalk. The raccoon moaned weakly as he rubbed his sore lower back.

"What the heck is the matter…now?" The last words escaped Bryce's muzzle in a high pitched yelp as looked up and beyond at what had grabbed the vixen's attention.

"What's the matter?" repeated an overly large bear as he slammed his right first into his opposing palm. "I wouldn't say there's a problem yet, squirt. But there could be!"

Bryce initial reaction to a situation involving something over twice his size was getting back to his feet and running like hell. Both phases of this plan were promptly cut short when he heard the rattling of chains just inches from his ears. A risky glance upward with a whimper confirmed their only escape was now being flanked by two scraggly fennec foxes. In their paws were two foot long links of iron chains, complete with a series of nails embedded near the ends dangling dangerously close to the raccoon's muzzle. He wrinkled his nose slightly, but decided best not to bring attention to their greasy stank. The flies buzzing over their ripped ears did the job well. The fennecs on the other hand did not seem to even care for Bryce's existence. Their attention stood totally focused on Kursed. Although, much like Bryce a little while ago, their eyes were more accurately focused on the curves of Kurseds lower back.

If Kursed had noticed anything about what was behind her, she gave it only a flick of the left ear to show it. She merely looked up at the towering bear with a genuine smile, paws clasped together for exaggerated innocence.

"If there's not a problem, would you mind getting out of our way?" she asked. "You're blocking our way and our sunlight."

The bear thug let out a huge roar, which could barely be recognized as a laugh. Even his two fennec companions were startled by this sudden outburst while Kursed raised an eyebrow.

"You got guts, lady." The bear cracked his knuckles as he spoke, though that only succeeded in making Bryce scotch backwards from where he sat. "I like that in a woman, but there's only two ways getting past me; money or blood."

Kursed looked untroubled as the bear advanced slowly on her. In fact, Bryce could almost swear she looked bored of the thugs display. "I really don't want violence, sir. This is only my first time on this planet."

"Good then." Then bear extended a massive palm towards Kursed expectedly. "Just hand over everything you got and we won't have to damage your pretty little face."

"Well, you people certainly don't ask for much." Kursed giggled as she unzipped a pocket near the left hip of her jumpsuit. She slipped a paw into the opening while giving the confused Bryce a confident wink. "Okay then, you're more then welcome to this."

The bear started to chuckle triumphantly, intending to do a lot of work on this beautiful piece of fox even after she had given up all her valuables. Those thoughts were quickly pushed aside as Kursed laid a simple metal pellet the size of a golf ball in his large paw. Various lights flashed about its surface as the bear first looked at it, then at the innocent smiling vixen in anger.

"What is this crap!?" he demanded between bared teeth. Bringing the metal object up to his face he began to move it about with a clawed finger from his free paw. "Exactly how is this little piece of crap of any val-"

It was at this moment the bears claw accidentally pressed down on the almost invisible button attached underneath the flashing lights. Instantly the device exploded with a bang in his face, flooding it with a thick green vapor. The bear staggered back in a frustrated growl while trying in vain to wipe the gas from his inflamed eyes and nose. Kursed wasted no time finishing off the surprised thug. With one fluid motion, she brought her right foot up into a straight kick against the bears crotch. As the bear folded forward in pain with both giant paws shooting for his neither region, the vixen pushed off the sensitive area, spinning in the air to smack the heal of her left boot against the bears exposed face. Kursed finished the spin to land gracefully into a crotched position facing the startled fennecs and Bryce. Behind her the bear also twirled both from the impact of her strikes and the gravity of his own massive weight, quickly losing his balance to come crashing to the ground. The impact alone was enough to create several cracks in the pavement as well as set off the alarm of a nearby car.

"Why are bad guys always so gullible?" Kursed asked no one in particular as she straightened back up. She quickly reached behind her to pull out a gold decorated stick from its hiding place just below the collar of her flight suit. It was only about a foot long from what Bryce could tell. On its head sat a large gold teardrop shape made of glimmering gold with a blue stone embedded in the middle, while it's bottom was a much narrower rectangle like shape that came down to four sharp points, though it also had a blue jewel encased in its center. With a flick of her fingers, the stick in Kurseds paw rapidly extended on either end, quickly becoming several feet long. The entire length of the now staff like weapon was decorated in similar blue colored designs, though Bryce could not figure out their meaning. The outer layer of the staffs head extended outwards slightly, forming some space between the gold and the jewel even as it began to emit a soft glow in the evening sun.

The fennecs just stared in awe for several seconds at their leader being dynamically and effortlessly taken down by this small vixen. However her gaze on them seemed to give them a smack back into reality. They charged her as one, chains flailing wildly in downward swings roughly aimed at her face. Kursed rushed them unexpectedly at the same time, passing between the strikes of the chains unscathed. Soon as she was parallel with them the narrow end of her staff came up to strike the right thug directly in the jaw, simultaneously tripping the fennec on her left with the heel of her boot. Performing a spin on the spot, Kursed brought the head of her staff around to smack the chin of the left fennec before he could even begin his descent to the ground. Using the momentum of the strike, the staff continued its circle arc to smack into the back of the other fennecs exposed head.

Kursed finished her spin as a complete three-sixty, facing Bryce again with a satisfied smirk. A second later, both fennecs fell to the ground and made no further movements, save for a few painful grunts. Kursed flicked the hidden switch on her staff and it instantly reverted back to its former small version. However, instead of putting it back to its hiding place under her flight suit she settled for hanging it off one of the accessory clasps at the suits right hip.

Bryce sat motionless on his sidewalk seat and blinked; a lot. The entire scene had lasted only two minutes at best and he still was not sure if it had really happened at all. He didn't even notice Kursed offer a paw to him until she had to give a polite cough.

"You okay, kid?" She asked while pulling Bryce back onto his shaking feet.

"I'm not a kid!" Bryce said as anger quickly replaced his amazement. Though his actions only seemed to amuse the vixen. "My name is Bryce Bandit."

"Bryce then," she said with a giggle. "You seem to fall down a lot. Didn't hurt your tail or anything, did you?"

"No, I don't have any pride left to get injured," Bryce smirked back, earning another giggle from Kursed. The raccoon quickly walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her narrow shoulders. Before Kursed could muster a reply he was forcing her to continue walking along the sidewalk along their original path. The giant bear let out several pitiful grunts as they proceeded to stomp across his massive chest and face along the way.

"Listen," he said in a low tone as they walked. His eyes seemed to dart around as if checking for eves droppers. "Let's get some distance before those yo-yo's wake up. That was awesome what you did! You in the military, or do you just work out on the side?"

"Um…" Kursed felt the cheeks of her white furred face take on a bit of red tint. "Thanks, I guess. I was part of a special team for a while…"

"Free agent!" Bryce interrupted gleefully while smacking the vixens shoulder with his entangled paw. "You're perfect, Kursed. I'd like to make you a proposition."

Now a few blocks away from the attempted mugging incident, Kursed promptly stopped her walk and brushed Bryce's paw off her shoulder. "Look Bryce, you're a nice kid but I really don't think I'm your type."

Bryce couldn't tell if he should be angry or depressed at her statement, but quickly decided both would hurt his case and pushed it aside. "Not that kind of proposition, silly! Have you ever considered a career in bounty hunting?"

Kursed's eyes went wide at the question, a bit taken back by the question. "You're a bounty hunter?"

"Well…not necessarily," Bryce confessed sheepishly. "I obviously have no qualities to hunt down criminals. Heck I can barely stand up to my sister half the time."

Kursed crossed her arms, giving her yet another staring down at the smaller raccoon suspiciously but also with an aura of curiosity in her voice. "So why the sudden interest in such a dangerous profession?"

Bryce instantly brightened back up. "That's just it! You see I got everything a team could need. Fully equipped starship, state of the art weapons, information databases out the wazzo. You name it, I got it." He scratched the back of his head with a chuckle, trying to choose his next words very carefully. "I've been trying to start a 'jack-of-all-trades' business for a while in this system, but I find myself lacking a….um…"

"Meat shield?" Kursed offered with a flick of her tail.

"I was going to say field agent," Bryce said through a red face. His attempts at trying to remain formal only fueled Kurseds amusement. "I'm an expert on research and tactics, but the hands on parts always make me fall short."

"I couldn't tell," Kursed remarked, making the raccoon blush harder.

"Hey I'm trying to be nice here!"

"I was just kidding. You're way too tense." Bryce stuck his tongue out at Kursed in response, though she surprisingly repaid the favor. She brushed a few loose hairs out of her face and sighed. "Okay, so you need a partner. Why me, a total stranger you know nothing about?"

"Um…I'm desperate?" Bryce admitted while twiddling his paw fingers sheepishly. He was not surprised that this response got a huge laugh out of Kursed. Even when being mocked though, the raccoon could not help but think her loud yelps were very pleasant to the ears. His current financial condition was not the only reason he wanted to peg this vixen as a partner, but hell would freeze over before he admitted to her the other.

Kursed laughed for almost a full minute, and even after that had a hard time not erupting into giggles as she regained her senses. Bryce shifted his weight nervously as their eyes met, and then he quickly broke the gaze pretending to look at something on the ground. If he was not a full fledged raccoon, she could almost swear he was looking just like Fox when Kursed had first met him. Unfortunately the mental image of her former lover but a prompt halt to her joy, the familiar feelings of hurt and anger flooding her being to replace it. Paws clasped into tight fists as she shut her eyes in an attempt to quickly silence her anger.

"Kursed?" Bryce approached the vixen uneasily upon noticing her sudden distress. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that I'm up to my tail in debt and thought…"

"It's nothing personal, Bryce." Kursed straightened back up, peace once again in her eyes. Even though Bryce could see a hint of pain behind them, he decided not to push the issue just yet. "I really appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'd make a good partner for you. It's like I said: I don't think I'm your type."

The vixen turned to leave in the hopes it would end their conversation. A paw reached up in a motion of moving hair strands away from her face, but they were actually wiping a stray tear from her eye. Bryce just glared in frustration at her retreating back.

"Do you really have anywhere else to go?" Bryce stated flatly, making Kursed stop in mid-step. If there was one quality he was proud of, it was his legendary stubbornness. "You wouldn't have flown all the way out here from Lylat on a short ranged fighter for a simple vacation."

Both of Kurseds lupine ears flattened against the sides of her head. Her paws began shaking as she fought every urge to turn around. "You really shouldn't eves drop on conversations, kid! That could lead to trouble."

Bryce grinned triumphantly despite being called a kid. As expected, she could not even try to refute his statements anymore. "What happened to you is your own business, I won't pry into that. But I see a kind and rather pretty vixen with barely a cent to her name, and a lot of potential. I won't lie; I'm barely in a better position than you, so we could benefit a lot even in a temporary partnership together."

This time Kursed did turn to fix Bryce with a solid glare. The raccoon moved back a few steps in surprise, but this time refused to break their gaze. "Now look here…"

"Just for a little while," Bryce interrupted almost pleadingly. "At the very least you can have a free home for a few days and get on your feet in this system. After that, if you wanna leave I won't stand in your way."

Kursed stared at him with an open mouth, which she promptly closed upon realization. She fidgeted in place, desperate to say something yet nothing came out. The raccoons offer was genuine, her telepathy made sure of that, but still she hesitated. There was no way she expected to come to this system only to be rushed into a new business on her first day. Even if they had skills that seemed to fit well together, the blue vixen could not get over how much Bryce was reminding her of a young Fox McCloud. Unfortunately all those memories only did was bring up painful reminders of hurt feelings that lead ultimately her to this new system. The last thing this raccoon needed was pent up anger being vented at him.

"Well?" Bryce interrupted her thoughts after what seemed like an eternity. He stared up at her with hopeful eyes.

The almost childish look as he stared at Kursed expectedly only threw her off more. Not able to think of anything else, she turned her back sharply to the raccoon. As she heard Bryce inhale sharply behind her, Kursed gazed up at the sky and finally began to take stock of her situation. Here was a young, former military vixen stranded in a metropolitan city with no clue about even the local customs. She had only a small amount of money and nothing but what she was carrying to her name and, as she just learned a little while ago, not everyone was as friendly as her new companion. Not to mention the sun looked ready to be setting within the hour. It also didn't help her case when her stomach chose that moment to remind her of its currently empty state in the form of a very loud series of gurgles. Upon the later part, she could clearly hear Bryce let out the breath he was holding followed by a fit of laughs.

"Looks like you got me into a corner on this issue," Kursed said, also a bit amused by her bodies poor tact. She turned to Bryce making no effort to hide her red cheeks. "I'll make you your first job offer then; take me to the best researched restaurant in this city and I'll consider your offer over dinner."

Bryce literally leapt for joy with a cheer. "All right! I like you as a partner already, treating your captain to dinner like this!"

"What!? No, I…" Kursed trailed off as the raccoon dashed past her faster than she ever expected.

"Follow me; I know a great place just past the floral district!" Bryce called back without even slowing down.

Kursed blinked in surprise, and then quickly sprinted after him in frustration. "Hey wait! I never said I was treating you, you punk!"

Bryce ignored her as he ran along the pavement deeper into the city, Kursed hot on his heels all the way. The vixen sighed dejectedly as they ran, already beginning to wonder what this lunatic raccoon would bring her on the second day of her new life. Yet in the back of her mind she could not help but feel a sense of relief. Maybe tonight she might even be able to sleep without nightmares.

End.


End file.
